WTB my first car

[Live2ride]

I have loved modding my ninjette so much and It was an even better experience since it's the first vehicle I have ever purchased. My father allows me to use his spare vehicle, a 1999 Chevy Tahoe, though I have to pay for all costs out of my own pocket (which I don't mind and completely understand). I have been trying to become more independent and self reliant. I'm in college and after this next year, I will be transferring to a 4 year school further away and I hope to start living on my own. Because of the circumstances, I have decided that I would like to purchase my first car. I'm looking for a sporty looking sedan / coupe / convertible that gets decent gas mileage for around $2500. I understand that this is not a large amount of money to purchase a car and that the majority of cars for sale in my price range will have high mileage.

Here is a list of some vehicles I'm interested in:

-97'+ eclipse
-00' + celica
-00' + impreza wrx
-96' + civic (not hatchback)
-96' + accord
-bmw (multiple models)
-98' + integra



If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to discuss them.

[caps]

for $2500 take any turbo Subaru off your list.

[rusninja]

might aswell get a less sporty car which is decent, then buying a high mile sports crap lol you will end up geting a abused car possibly and it will need a lot of work and if your on so tight of a budget i dont think youll like a car that just sits there asking to be fixed XD

[TeamGreen]

Not to rain on your sporty car parade but what bmw can you get for 2500? Are we talking an old e30 or something? My vote would be a civic/accord/integra or a small toyota pickup.

I would strongly advise against any luxury type car with high mileage. The maintenance will destroy your wallet.

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by caps

for $2500 take any turbo Subaru off your list.

yea, wishful thinking, hehe . I don't think I could ever find a wrx for around the $2500 range but maybe if I save...for a long time.

Originally Posted by rusninja

might aswell get a less sporty car which is decent, then buying a high mile sports crap lol you will end up geting a abused car possibly and it will need a lot of work and if your on so tight of a budget i dont think youll like a car that just sits there asking to be fixed XD

That's very true, if you notice though, my list contains civics and accords which are definitely less sporty. My price range will be expanding every week though I don't wish to pay tons of money for my first car. I hope to find one in great condition with high mileage and I don't need a car; I want one. Therefore I don't have a set time limit for getting one and I might not get one for months, hell even a year or two.

This is similar to buying my ninjette; I didn't need one, I wanted one; and it took me months and months to finally buy one. No need to rush things like these.

[whiteboy]

Most of those cars are a pain to work on and maintenance is expensive as hell. I'd look into a cheap Nissan maxima or a little truck to put the bike in when needed. Auctions are good if you have patience and the cash. Good luck

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by TeamGreen

Not to rain on your sporty car parade but what bmw can you get for 2500? Are we talking an old e30 or something? My vote would be a civic/accord/integra or a small toyota pickup.

I would strongly advise against any luxury type car with high mileage. The maintenance will destroy your wallet.

I found a few 93-99 bmw's on craigslist in my price range with around 160k miles. I simply like the way they look. They come with that specific style and sleek designing from the factory unlike other cars which can take $1,000's to get a similar uniqueness about them.

[whiteboy]

Originally Posted by Live2ride

I found a few 93-99 bmw's on craigslist in my price range with around 160k miles. I simply like the way they look. They come with that specific style and sleek designing from the factory unlike other cars which can take $1,000's to get a similar uniqueness about them.

BMW's are nice and all but that's high mileage and a BMW for maintenance I expensive as all hell and they make the things to where u need to take it to a certified mechanic to do anything to it. It's a good car yes and dependable just expensive period.

[caps]

Originally Posted by Live2ride

yea, wishful thinking, hehe . I don't think I could ever find a wrx for around the $2500 range but maybe if I save...for a long time.

add a 1 in front of it and your at a decent starting point

Originally Posted by Live2ride

I found a few 93-99 bmw's on craigslist in my price range with around 160k miles. I simply like the way they look. They come with that specific style and sleek designing from the factory unlike other cars which can take $1,000's to get a similar uniqueness about them.

I only have one think to say about these...
Valves. They will destroy your wallet.

[TnNinjaGirl]

I own both a Subaru WRX and a 96 Accord. The Accord just rolled over 289,000 and doesn't burn a drop of oil. It has been run without coolant, with several 10,000 mile oil changes with crappy oil and somehow it has still survived. The only major things I've. Done to it are a new head gasket and a drivers side front caliper that seized.

I must admit that the Subie is an STi, but I often drive and am the sole maintainer (sp?) Of my uncle's 02 WRX. It has 205,000 miles and runs like a top. It has some mods in it so it is not stock. The only major things that have gone wrong with it are a transmission that lost 2nd gear (notoriously weak) and a passenger side front axle.

Both of the cars are great. The WRX is much sportier, but you pay in economy, gas (premium only) and oil (synthetic or bust with a turbo). The Accord is an able performing toaster. It is what it is. You don't have to worry about people wanting to race, keying your car or finding it up on blocks. Not to mention every Pull A Part has about 20 Accords in it.

I have not personally owned, but my mom and 2 friends have had Mitsubishis. Actually Darryl from Killboy also had a Mistu. The motor blew on every single one of them. I will not ever buy one. However, the Eclipse is one of the best looking cars ever made in my opinion.

I sold my Accord at one point and then bought it back a year later because I missed it so much. I would recommend a 96+ Accord to anyone I liked (not to my enemies!). But, if you get the 01 (if I remember correctly) do not get the 6 cyl as they use the same transmission at the 4cyl and are notorious for breaking. My dad and aunt both had 6cyl Accords. Whose transmissions went out.

I almost forgot, I've owned a 93 318I and still own a 98 m3. BMWs are awesome but expensive. Count on new coils every 50k or so at $400 a round. Tires (wide lo pros), oil (synthetic), fuses, rear taillight bulbs. Those things go fast on a BMW. Lots of parts for them at the junkyard, though. I love the way they drive and look.

Good luck!

[Live2ride]

Thanks for all that info, CB. My cousin has an accord that he bought at least 4 years ago and he's never spoken badly about it. I just want something fun to drive that looks great.

[kkim]

Originally Posted by Live2ride

Here is a list of some vehicles I'm interested in:

-97'+ eclipse
-00' + celica
-00' + impreza wrx
-96' + civic (not hatchback)
-96' + accord
-bmw (multiple models)
-98' + integra



If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to discuss them.

scratch the eclipse, wrx and bmw (any bmw) off your list.
of those that are left, I'd recommend the accord or the integra. every car has it's weak spots... do your homework before you buy or you'll find yourself spending more on repairs than you did on the car itself.

not on your list, but older camrys make great used cars. dead reliable, excellent ride and usually owned by older people that won't destroy the cars before they sell them.

get a copy of consumer reports, annual auto issue, and check out the reliability ratings of the used cars. you'll definitely see a pattern of which cars to consider and which to stay away from.

[money]

Get an accord or a civic: they last forever, maintenance is reasonable and you can get some decent performance out of them as well. As others have said, you might be able to buy an old BMW but the upkeep will bleed you dry. I love my 328, but the tires run $1200 a set and it's $250 for an oil change. Wait till you graduate and get a good job, then get your luxury car .

[rusninja]

lol cody idk bout there but most the civics here are all abused i mean hey though whos gonna get a car and baby it. x]

[Azhyen]

I have a '02 bmw e46 and for a long time it was burning oil. Believe these guys when they say maintenance is expensive as hell, but the handling and driving can't be beat.

BTW the e36's, the '92-'99, are very prone to blowing their radiator hoses in a fantastic fashion around the 100k mi. mark.

For your tight budget, go with the civic or accord. I'm partial to the 98 SI myself.

[kaiserz]

White celica 03+ , that's what I'm gettin.

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by kaiserz

White celica 03+ , that's what I'm gettin.

Nice choice, they look great and white definitely sets them off.

[Jiggles]

You should think about a Nissan Maxima, marketed as a 4 door sports car. I've owned 2 of them a 1994, and a 2000. Here's the 2000 that I currently own. It's got 222hp @ 6400rpms

Not bad for 11 years old eh?

[TXJ]

Get a geo metro (they're about $1500 around here). A blind monkey can fix one and they're the perfect collage kid beater car IMO. Drive that for awhile and your ninjette will feel like a liter bike.

[Zombiphone]

The '94-99 Celicas are FAAAAAR sexier than the '00+

I've got the '94 GT model, that I love to death. It's only got 125k on it, but for the 30k/5 years that I've owned it, it's been reliable, cheap to insure, good on gas, really fun to drive, surprisingly comfortably tows my ninja to the track and my dirt bike to the trails, and, above all, the body style resembles the 93+ Supra (Personal dream car, so you can ignore this point) It's been a great all around car for me, personally.

But yeah, I always hear great things about corollas and civics and accords and whathaveyou for reliability, and there are tons on the road still. I'm sure you'd be fine if you ended up with anything of the sort, so long as you get a vehicle that's been treated decently and in good order. Celicas are just much snazzier, in my biased and not that humble opinion

[CynicalC]

Originally Posted by Azhyen

BTW the e36's, the '92-'99, are very prone to blowing their radiator hoses in a fantastic fashion around the 100k mi. mark.

Replacing those hoses is part of preventative maintenance.

[kkim]

not so much the hoses, but the plastic water pump impellers they used that would fall apart, clog the cooling system and blow the weakest link, which most times were the hoses. there's no preventive maintenance for that except to switch to a metal impeller water pump that BMW introduced in the later year e36 cars.

like I said... stay away from any BMW, if you're on a budget.

[00NissanNinja]

Well my name gives it away but I have a 1st gen nissan altima. Its got about 171,000 miles on it and still runs great. I do all the maintenance on it and its pretty easy to work on. Also have an xterra with 168,000 miles on it. Neither of them have ever had any serious problems, and my altima is absolutely rust free, undercarriage and all. The xterra still looks new.

[Live2ride]

I've decided to take the bmw off the list, along with the wrx for obvious reasons. I seem to like the 00' + models of the celica more and more each time I look at them and its similar but not as strong with the 00'+ eclipse. So now I'm leaning more towards a celica than the others, though I'd be pleased with an accord or civic. I think the celica fits my style better than the others.

[00NissanNinja]

I think a 2000+ celica would be nice (I would like one myself actually; a gt-s model preferred). I still try to see if there any used ones in my area but there are so few.

[kkim]

Originally Posted by drsketch

get a 2011 hyundai elantra limited w/nav

awesome car

they sell those for $2500??? have you even read the original post?

[money]

Originally Posted by drsketch

get a 2011 hyundai elantra limited w/nav

awesome car

Hell, if he can afford a $24k car, then sure get a used BMW.

[Sixringz]

Originally Posted by kkim

they sell those for $2500??? have you even read the original post?

Yeah 2,500 OTD is what they are running us here in Pittsburgh

[kkim]

Originally Posted by Sixringz

Yeah 2,500 OTD is what they are running us here in Pittsburgh

I'll take ten.

[Live2ride]

Originally Posted by Sixringz

Yeah 2,500 OTD is what they are running us here in Pittsburgh

Sounds like its time for a short road trip to PA.

[Live2ride]

I found this 00' Celica GT for sale about an hour away at a dealer.

specs:

- 5 speed manual trans.
- 127k miles
- approximately $5,500 otd
- Lambo doors (which look cool but idk how easily I could get in and out w/ them)
- aftermarket fiberglass hood w/ scoop
- aftermarket tail lights



Obviously I could only afford to make a down payment on this car and pay monthly installments. I might consider doing such a thing as a way of building up a line of credit history since I have none; I just prefer to pay cash for everything I buy. I could also just wait a while and save up enough $$$ to buy a $5,000 car in cash.

One other option is, once winter rolls around, I could sell my ninjette for a decent price, I figure around $3,000 or so, since I won't be needing it for the snowy months. After pondering that thought for a few minutes I slapped myself in the face for having such an idiotic idea.

[alex.s]

i might sound strange for saying this... but i agree with the hyundai. they're extremely reliable cars. especially for the money. like anything, if you abuse the hell out of it it will get worn down, but if you take care of them they'll last forever. plus you can't beat the 10 year/100k mile warranty

[CmichRider]

Seriously though, while that Celica looks...unique...I'd stay away. I think it is priced higher than it should be, lambo doors are outdated (at least here) and completely annoying, and it's not within your budget.

In my opinion, you would be better off buying a car within your budget and something cheap to maintain, like a Civic. Dunno your situation, but as a college student, I know that parking my car at school (or anywhere with college students) is a risk, and I've lost count of how many new scratches my car has on it. A nice car like that would attract a lot of haters.

[jamesio]

Screw cars...trucks are where it's at

You should get a little Toyota.

The mighty yota 4-bangers last a lifetime and you don't have to worry about beatin' her up some

Not to mention if you ever needed to you could haul your bike!

[00NissanNinja]

Originally Posted by CmichRider

, I know that parking my car at school (or anywhere with college students) is a risk, and I've lost count of how many new scratches my car has on it. A nice car like that would attract a lot of haters.

I hate the some of the people at my college, they added a huge gash to a front corner of my bumper, and a few penny sized dents. Every month my car warns me that someone has hit it somewhere. Can somebody respect my property

[caps]

Originally Posted by jamesio

Screw cars...trucks are where it's at

You should get a little Toyota.

The mighty yota 4-bangers last a lifetime and you don't have to worry about beatin' her up some

Not to mention if you ever needed to you could haul your bike!

this is honestly a great idea

[Live2ride]

I've driven trucks all my life; it's time to drive a car for a change. I need better mpg for commuting to work / long trips and tbh I've never needed the space of a truck. I've always enjoyed the idea of a decent sized coupe because it fits my wants / needs. As long as it can hold my golf bag then it's got enough space for me.

p.s. It's also an option that I can stay insured on my tahoe in case I need the extra space though I doubt I will want to pay for the added insurance. The main point of buying a car for myself is very similar to the reason I bought my 250; to have fun riding / driving and save money on gas.

[00NissanNinja]

I try to stay away from cars that have carbon hoods and some other trivialities. I feel like they may have gotten abused, but you never know without actually trying it out. Trucks cost to much to maintain. I'm happy to own a car each time I see how much it costs to do service on truck (especially the 4x4 v6 and up types).

[Jesse8931]

No idea were you live but used car prices here are through the roof. my saturn with almost 400000 miles is worth 1k and my buddy sold a 98 elclipse with rod knock for 3k.

[jamesio]

I've got a 2wd v6 Dakota and it's not any less expensive to maintain than a regular car. And ive beaten her up over the years! The paint is all faded, scratches and dings everywhere, the bed liner is all torn up from various summer jobs def not much to look at but I've taken care of her insides In highschool I used her for summer jobs cleaning up housing sites and hauling stuff to the dump and other construction like jobs. And also to haul around bounce houses and water slides all day and into the evenings Astro Jump anybody? Lol Those f***ers are heavy btw that job beat the crap outta me and my truck but it was fun as hell. I remember some sites where it was a major accomplishment just to get the thing all rolled back up and back into the truck bed bein covered in mud from head to toe, especially with the water slides it got down and dirty..I miss those days But with any vehicle, preventititive maintenance is key to keeping maintenance costs down